Corrupted By Love
by kissingdeath01
Summary: The teen feels affection towards the soldier that saved him multiple times. However, he also feels this way toward the redhead in pigtails that comforted him when in doubt. Will he have to decide? Will they leave him forever? Or will he realize they might not be the right ones? [Hopurai/HopexVanille/HopexSerah/HopexFang]


{Here's my serious FFXIII story! I'm sorry if it sucks... this is my first time writing a serious fanfic. Credit to Hollowfiedhuman95 for the plot. Hopurai and Hope/Vanille warning.}

**Corrupted By Love**

Lightning got left behind when Hope ventured forth toward Bodhum. _Oh well... I can handle myself. _Lightning looked around her at all the monsters walking around. Lots of them. _But... Hope isn't strong enough to handle himself... _As Lightning realized this, she looked at Hope, who was far ahead of her. "Hope!" she yelled, hoping he could hear her.

He looked back at her. "Light? What is it?"

She grabbed a few Potions. "I think you'll need these." She threw them at him and he caught them, the impact of the 2 oz. bottles knocking him over. He stood up and continued to walk the other direction, saying back toward her, "Thanks, Light!"

She looked at one coming towards her. _A Behemoth, _she thought. "Here we go," she said. She pulled out her weapon and looked it in its eye. "You're going to be dead in just a minute," Lightning said to it.

It attacked, and took 254 health away from her, making her gasp and fall over. She got up, but she felt weak. _I gave all my potions to Hope..._ She switched herself from Commando to Medic, trying to heal herself, when it attacked again, leaving her at 47 health. She kept casting Cure until she was certain she was okay. _What's distracting me?! Usually I'd be able to knock this guy down about now! _There was something on her mind that was bugging her, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Switching back to her Commando paradigm, she attacked over and over at the fiend, doing nearly no damage. Her health got knocked back down, to 128, and she knew she was screwed. She was over. No way did she have time to heal. _I can't... die like this... Alone... with my sister in a crystal stasis... _It attacked another time, and she was at 13 health. The pinkette gasped for air. Her lungs felt hot and as if they were completely empty, but couldn't accept any oxygen. _For Hope... _was her thoughts. Then it hit her; what had been bothering her. She couldn't keep her sister and Hope off of her mind. _Serah's my sister, but... Why Hope?_ Possibly the soldier had taken a liking to the teen. _No, impossible. I'm six years older than him... He's still a kid!_ She shook her head. And while she had been trying to figure out her feelings toward Hope, the foe stepped toward her, and its foot was the last thing she saw before she got plunged into a world of darkness.

Hope had already entered the Seaside City of Bodhum. _I feel bad for Light... I mean, she probably killed a whole bunch of the enemies already... What if she isn't okay? I have a feeling that something's wrong... _He looked behind him, and realized that he didn't want to go back — he **couldn't**. He didn't want to invade her space. "Just stay out of my way!" she had told him. But, he just didn't want to stay out of her way. He felt like... He had to protect her. _If something happened to her..._ He shook his head at the thought. _I don't know what I'd do. _He needed to be by her side. He needed to know she was okay. The curiosity was tearing at him like he was a piece of paper. The thought of her dying without him by her side broke his heart. _I need to go back..._ He ran the way he came, tripping a bit on some debris on the ground but otherwise going as fast as he could. When he saw her, he knew it was too late.

He ran to her, holding her body. He looked at the Behemoth. "Liiightniiing!" he screamed, tears stinging his eyes and dripping down his face. She remained still. He had no Phoenix Downs. He buried his face in her neck and cried. He wasn't ashamed at all of crying. Hope knew it was a different and more heartbreaking reaction than when he saw his mom die in front of his eyes. That tore him apart. This killed him on the inside. He continued crying. The silveret just kept crying, and crying, nonstop. He was so heartbroken. He leaned down to her ear and whispered softly, "I love you..." The teen gripped tightly onto Lightning, and cried more, when suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was a soft grip that the person had on him. A familiar, unforgettable accent spoke softly toward him; a high-pitched Australian accent.

"Hope? Are you okay...?" the voice asked. He knew this voice anywhere; it was no other than good ol' Vanille.

He looked up at her. _At least... At least you didn't die as well... _"L-Light... She-"

"I know," Vanille said calmly, wiping the tears off of his face. "I have a Phoenix Down... It'll be okay, I promise."

Hope looked at Vanille, tears still brimming his eyes. "Please... Bring her back." And at that moment, the redhead took out a Phoenix Down and threw it in the air. The feathers flew around Lightning's body and slowly lifted her up to a standing position, her eyes open.

"Wh- What happened?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows at Hope and Vanille. Hope wrapped his arms around Lightning tightly, embracing her. He enjoyed every second he was holding her. Lightning gasped at the sudden hug, but then realized she had died. This embrace... This was a reason she fell in love with Hope. She loved him. And then a rare thing happened — Lightning smiled.

Vanille smiled, watching the two. A surge of jealousy ran through her when she noticed Lightning's smile, and her own grin slowly curved downward to a bit of a pout. "I brought you back, Lightning! Now, uh... What are we going to do about this Behemoth?"

"We run," she said.

"What?" Hope asked.

"I mean just what I say. We flee. We're not strong enough." Lightning began running toward Bodhum. Vanille and Hope ran after her, but stayed a bit behind her.

_Wait... Why am I getting a fluttery feeling? I'm only walking with Vanille... Oh my gosh... I love Lightning, but I love Vanille...?!_

"Hey, Hope?" Vanille asked.

He snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah?"

"Remember when you said that... it makes you happy when I smile...?"

"Uh... Yeah?"

"Were you really joking?" Vanille asked.

Hope blushed and looked away. "... No."

"So... You do feel that way about me..." Vanille continued walking with him, but looked up. "Well... Don't feel bad about it. I feel that way about you, too." Vanille looked at him, and he turned his head toward her, looking her in the eye. Vanille leaned toward his crimson red face and softly brushed her lips against his.

_You really meant it... The way I feel towards you is indescribable. Oerba Dia Vanille..._

_I love you._

**To be continued...****  
**


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